Weight Loss Diet Program

Do People Love Who You Are or Who You Were?

We all change, regardless of whether or not we try not to. We learn things. Life imprints new ideas into our minds.

Despite this, those who value us often wish we would not change for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes they want us to stay the same because of nostalgia.

Other times they got something out of the old you that they are afraid they will lost in the new you.

But beyond that, people often fear your change because they fear the unknown and they fear what might come next from you. This is a selfish reaction because those in your life are not trying to change you for you.

Instead, they are trying to change you for them. So how do you resist them without losing them as friends?

Everyone has a right to express their thoughts and feelings

Our emotions are a part of who we are. When your friends express dismay over your change, remember that when people are expressing their thoughts and feelings, they are giving you an opportunity to understand why they think what they do.

At the very least, you will know what you are up against. But if you care about the person who is resisting your change, you will probably want to know what is causing that feeling of  sadness and how to fix that person’s sadness over your change.

Just pay attention to what your loved one is saying. If they ask you any questions about your change, give them a respectful answer as to why you are changing the way you are.

State your position as clearly and articulately as possible so that your loved ones understand where you’re coming from.

Spend time getting to know you

Do not let other people overwhelm you. Be aware that you need time to sort through your thoughts and feelings so that you do not find yourself manipulated by others.

Think carefully to what your friends are saying and compare this to the reasons why you began changing in the first place.

Recall your experiences before changing or taking decisions. Then think analytically about what other people are saying. Are they right? If you really think they are right, then reverse your course.

Are they only partially right? Then partially push yourself in the direction that they want you to go. Are they completely wrong? Then ignore them. Why would you want to do something that is going to make your life worse for people who are wrong?

Depression, Helping Yourself Before Visiting A Doctor

Depression seems to be a sign of the times we live in, with more people suffering from it across the globe.

There are many medicines that can be prescribed to alleviate depression, but before seeking medical intervention first try and see if you can help yourself.

Often there is no one there to ask how you are feeling, so you have no outlet and things can get bottled up inside.

By writing in a journal, it means that your feelings and thoughts are let out and will help you to understand possibly, what causes the unhappiness that you feel with your life.

Exercise in any form will be good for the mind, a brisk walk, yoga practice or a type of routine that you will enjoy could make a big difference to your mental well being. Do not force yourself to do something you do not like, this will have a very negative effect on your sense of self.

As you perform your chosen activity let your mind discharge all its worries and think things through ultimately clearing your head.Although it can be daunting at first, getting out and meeting people will be a big help.

Look out for groups or organizations that might interest you, if you like gardening join a club that meets regularly in the summer. Local papers often advertise these different social groups, detailing places and times where they meet in your area.

You can try and find an activity that will change your attitude and help bring you out of your dark place. Voluntary work, for example can be very rewarding and provide a great sense of self worth.

Clean Up The Clutter - Fight Your Pack Rat Urge

Some of us waste our money on new possessions on a regular basis.

I knew a man who purchased a new hammer every time he couldn’t find his old one.

Being wasteful can put an economic toll on our bank account by forcing us to spend money. But hoarding can be equally troublesome.

Especially for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder and poor impulse control, hoarding can hamper a home owner’s ability to work and manage daily activities.

Clutter also simply looks bad and creates a home full of dust-collectors. Even worse, many pack rats refuse to return borrowed items. Being a compulsive hoarder is often similar to stealing in many cases.

Causes

Compulsive hoarders often have all sorts of fears that drive their hoarding. Many pack rats think that any one of their possessions might become useful someday.

Some pack rats think that normally useless items have sentimental value, while other items might be missed by others if they are discarded.

Compulsive hoarders are also often afraid of being wasteful and attempt to hoard items in order to be economical.

However, truly important possessions are often lost and require hoarders to buy replacements of the lost item.

It’s all literally in your head

Many researchers have actually discovered that some brain abnormalities might be the cause of compulsive hoarding. Brain lesions, strokes, surgeries, and infections can all lead to the compulsive hoarding disorder.

But compulsive hoarding can also come from past psychological trauma. Horrible family experiences and past stress can lead to symptoms of compulsive hoarding.

Sure, some people might hoard simply out of habit, but there are times when pack rats need a proper psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis in order to determine the cause and possible treatments for the individual suffering from compulsive hoarding.

Cleaning up the clutter

If compulsive hoarding comes from bad habits or past emotional stress, you might need cognitive behavioral therapy in order to recover from compulsive hoarding.

Oftentimes, psychotherapists will help patients develop healthy thinking patterns and thought exercises that will help the pack rat overcome anxieties over getting rid of unneeded possessions.

The medical treatment used for compulsive hoarding is the serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications. These are generally not effective because compulsive hoarders might not realize the harmful effect that hoarding has on their lives.

In order to cure compulsive hording, patients need to be able to identify their problem before effective treating can occur.

How you can recover from compulsive hoarding?

To get rid of your pack rat mentality, you must become aware that you are capable of providing for yourself and your family. You do not need all of the things that you hoard. Not only that, being a pack rat can often cost you money.

Many pack rats go out and buy new possessions that they thought they lost because those essential possessions are lost among the clutter.

Get rid of reading materials that you haven’t read in a month and every week get rid of things that you can’t find a foreseeable use for in the future.

Losing weight: questions about running, nutrition, and working out at home

Questions for Health/Fitness experts:

First, I had bet $100 with a friend that I could lose 18 pounds in 19 days. After a week now, I realised it was a foolish bet and paid him off.
What started this bet was my cholesterol was at a extremely high level of 270 and I’m only 30 years old. In the process of this bet, I have lost 6 pounds over the last 7 days and want to continue to lose those last 12 pounds in a healthy way.

My first question is, I’ve been jogging/running 2-3 miles per day five times a week. I want to slowly bring that up to 5 miles per day. Problem is, after my runs my shin’s start to act up and become sore for a few hours. I’ve only been doing this for a week, so I’m not sure if this is a normal feeling after a running a few miles. Or is it my body trying to tell me I’m doing too much too soon. Should I cut back a little on my running to maybe 4 times a week?

Second question, is my diet and nutrition. I’ve cut out all sweets and junk food from my diet. But I wanted to know if anyone had a link to a good diet/nutrition web site? Basically looking for a healthy diet that would help me lose the most stored up extra fat on my body in the quickest time. (FYI, I’m 182 pounds now and looking to drop to 165-170 range).

Final question, with two small kids at home I don’t have time to hit the gym. Outside of jogging/running, I’ve also been doing 100 situps and 40 pushups per day. Does anyone have any other exercises I could do at home to help lose weight in my waist and mid section? Thanks for any help, it’s much appricated.

Answer 1: You’ve got a case of shin splints - don’t run on a hard surface…. get new running shoes. I always thought running or walking backwards helped shin splints, but that might be just an old wives tale.

Also don’t do too much running. Combine aerobic training with some weight training other days (even just dumbells at home). There are no specific exercises to reduce waist really, just have to increase your metabolism and decrease intake.

You can’t spot reduce so no excercise will help you lose inches of your midsection(despite what the commercials say). Your midsection gets smaller from overall weightloss, not sit ups, crunches or any other core training exercise.

Answer 2: According to my doctor running intervals will burn more calories in the long run than jogging. Also, I used to get shin splints, and a buddy of mine showed me a trick he used. After running, run an ice cube up and down each shin until the cube melts. Sounds simple, but it worked for me. It also might be your shoes. Go to a real running store (Fleet Feet, Road Runners, etc), and have them identify your gait. They can then show you which shoes are best for your running style. Good luck, and keep it up!

Answer 3: If I were you I would not jump right in and run that frequently. That is probably the reason you are getting shin splints. also, running on a track or grass is much better than pavement in that regard. As far as waistline reduction, you need to just reduce calories so you burn fat. As other posters have said, you can’t spot reduce.

One great way to incorporate more exercises into your aerobic activity is with conjugate training. One circuit might be, sprint 50 yards, drop do 20 pushups, sprint another 50, do some bodyweight squats, sprint 50 do some situps.

That will work you more efficiently than running for distance and is actually more effective at burning fat. Good luck and good health.

P.S. You could also purchase a doorway pull-up bar and some dumbbells for variety.

Answer 4: Your diet is good so far - eliminate sugars and simple carbs. Be mindful that you get alot of that with what you drink, even gatorade. Try drinking only water for 2 or more weeks (no alcohol, no juice). Take a B-complex and Calcium supps to aid your metabolism and lost nutrients from working out. Consume lots of high fiber foods (mainly green veggies) and take probiotics to help your digestion.

For your cholesterol, garlic as a supplement is highly recommended. Add it to your food too. Use only regular butter or extra virgin olive oil for cooking (no margarine or substitutes). If you want to eat eggs only eat the white. Other than that, read labels and watch your calories and you could lose the weight pretty fast.

Answer 5: I do Cross fit. I started with Body for Life, then went through several iterations of sports related workouts (Hockey player, so I did hockey related workouts) Now I’m doing crossfit (see link) It’s advanced, so you have to be very careful with how you do it, but it is an intense workout. BFL will give you a good idea about how to deal with diet, and is probably one of the best diet/exorcize combo’s I’ve seen because it preaches balance, which is key to long-term results. Shin-splits: Ice them down post run. run every other day rather than stacking one day on top of another. In between days do some wieght training, or resistance training (pushups, pull ups, body-weight squats, sit ups to start) your body will adjust, but also be sure you have good shoes- watch for arch support- key to avoiding shin splits…

Also, you can help get rid of shin splints by strengthening the muscles in the front of your lower leg. The exercise movement would be the same as hanging a bucket filled with sand off of your toes and moving your foot slowly up and down. This is an easy exercise to do just by creating resistance with your other foot or using an object.

Answer 6: Running first thing in the morning is a plan, but be advised if you have any possibility of cardiac problems this can have a fatal outcome. I forget each and every physiologic reason but something to the effect of the tendency of clots to form and spread to the heart is significantly increased in exerciseing on a empty stomech in the morning. A running guru of the eighties Jim Fixx was thought to have this as a contributory factor in his death of cardiac arrest during a early morning no breakfast run.

Answer 7: To maximize caloric burn relative to what your body can handle use a form of circuit training. I know this because, as a type II diabetic, my goal is often to burn as many carbs as I can in a given time period, in order to drop my blood sugar. I test before and after, so I know what works.

The way to do this is to 1)get your heartbeat up to your target range and keep it there; 2) use as many different sets of muscles as you can; and 3) minimize the risk that you will suffer an overuse injury relative to what your body can handle, as you obviously just did.

So, do a broad series of exercizes, without too severe pressure on your body, and no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. This can include intervals on the treadmill, pushups, abs/gluts on the exercize ball, no weight squats agains a wall, light dumbells, Therabands, etc. Several days a week, you can add somewhat heavier weights as well.

Stretch before and after. Since you aren’t straining any specific body segments, this type of routine can be done more than once a day. A half hour of this twice a day can work wonders. A link below to one example. (Btw, when you first posted and talked about what you intended to do with jogging to win your bet, my first response was: tendonitus. No one can go from zero to that much training overnight.)

Prehab your shoulder

Great article here on some exercises and stretches you can do to avoid injuring (prehab) your shoulder. A lot of people end up with damaged shoulders as they continue exercising due to focusing too much on the bigger lifts and not enough on the support muscles.

I especially like the 3 stretches. Admittedly I haven’t tried the exercises yet, but I will now after reading that doing pullups without working on the shoulders can lead to injury since shoulders are active on your way down.